City of Rochester demolishing 175 vacant homes by June 2018

All 175 homes currently on the demolition list for the City of Rochester will be knocked down by the end of the current fiscal year.

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) - All 175 homes currently on the demolition list for the City of Rochester will be knocked down by the end of the current fiscal year.

Mayor Lovely Warren made the announcement Tuesday morning.

The homes on the list are ones that have been assessed and deemed to be beyond repair due to lead or asbestos contamination and lack of safety.

In addition, the City’s Land Bank has received a $1.5 million grant to rehabilitate five vacant homes and sell them primarily to first-time homebuyers. The grants are paid for through state grant money, awarded from mortgage settlements the Attorney General’s office made with big banks after the housing crisis.

“Vacant and blighted properties blemish the very streets we are trying to revive, bringing down home values, quality of life and the morale of the neighborhood,” Mayor Warren said.